Review Buick Regal TourX 2018

The Buick Regal is all-new for 2018, and we recently reviewed the first vehicle in the Regal family, the Sportback. You may recall that we found it to be quite nice, but lacking that little extra something to get us excited. That sharp-looking wagon pictured above posed on dirt with its plastic cladding promised to deliver that excitement we were looking for. We recently ventured out to Sedona, Arizona for a first-drive behind the wheel of the 2018 Buick Regal TourX.

“Regal TourX is a crossover in the truest sense of the word, with the drive dynamics of a car and the versatility of an SUV,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president, global Buick and GMC. “Additionally, it continues a trend set by the Cascada and Encore of bringing Buick’s contemporary design and attainable luxury credentials to new segments where customers are looking for more. TourX enters a vibrant segment with passion and youthful energy where drivers are able to experience the new Buick.”

To be honest, just letting us drive on dirt is enough to get us excited, but we also have a soft-spot for wagons, especially of the rugged all-wheel-drive variety. The Buick Regal TourX really does have much in common with its hatch-back brother, the Buick Regal Sportback. Since we have recently reviewed the later, we’re going to focus primarily on what is different about the wagon version for this feature.

Exterior

You’ll notice the roof rack with bikes in the photo below, which helps to highlight one of the most important features about the TourX, or any wagon for that matter. That is the ability to access the roof rails (standard) easily to mount equipment, because the roof is lower than a crossover or SUV. We’re told that wagon owners actually use their roof racks more than crossover drivers, and that does make sense.

With 3.4 inches in additional length, the Buick Regal TourX really is just the wagon version of the Regal Sportback, but for whatever reason the styling works better for us on this vehicle. Buick seems to be toeing the line between a luxury wagon and something more rugged that you’d have no problem getting dirty. Please enjoy our Instagram photos from our day driving the TourX below, and we’d like to thank Buick for the other photos in this feature.

The front-end styling is nearly identical, and most of the exterior difference comes in the extended wagon back. We’re particularly fond of the chrome strip that extends from the roof line down the back windshield. We found the rear 3/4 angle to be quite striking when we followed another TourX out of Sedona. The black plastic cladding around the wheels can be polarizing, but we tend to like it. We found the Sport Red to be the most stunning color, but also appreciated the way the White popped in our photos surrounded by Red Rock State Park.